Mass Effect: A Novelization
by Lord Lycaon
Summary: They impose order on the chaos of organic evolution. We exist because they allow. And we will end because they demand it. But they do not understand us. We will not end without a fight. They aim to bring us hell. Instead, we will give it to them.


**_Location: The Citadel_**

**_ Date by Earth Calendar: August 14, 2183_**

Within an elegant city, in an office near the city's highest governmental body, two men stood by a third man's desk. They had been debating for several minutes about what name they should put forward for one of the greatest moments in human history. They had a long list of potential candidates, but they each had particular reasons why each one should not be put forward, whether it was for lack of confidence in that person or that candidate simply wouldn't have been enough to fill the role. Finally, the third man found a name that he quickly recognized.

"Well, what about Shepard?" he inquired as he read through the soldier's dossier. "He's a spacer. Spent most of his life on starships, hopping from planet to planet."

"Military life runs in the family," said of the first men in a deep, serious voice. "Both of his parents were marines before they retired."

"He watched his whole unit die on Akuze," said the second man, whose eyes belied a certain wisdom that came with his age. "He likely has some deep emotional scars."

"Is that the kind of person we want protecting the galaxy?" the third man inquired, his tone skeptical.

"That's the only kind of person who _can_ protect the galaxy," the deep-voiced man replied confidently. The seated man still held an unsure expression before he sighed in defeat.

"I'll make the call."

-o-

**_Location: Sol System, currently leaving Earth_**

**_ Date by Earth Calendar: August 19, 2183_**

Within the Sol System, the solar system that humans called home, a single ship had lifted off. It darted past planets with staggering speed. It rocketed by Jupiter, heading off towards the nearest relay. The crew of the craft was working diligently, soldiers, engineers, navigators, and others hurrying about as they continued ensuring that their ship was ready.

One soldier clad in black body armor with a single red stripe going down along his right arm was quickly making his way through the ship, heading toward the helm, the crew greeting him by his rank; Commander.

"The Arcturus Prime relay is in range," the ship's helmsman said over the intercom as the commander continued through the ship. "Initiating transmission sequence." The ship soared past Neptune, heading further and further from its home planet, Earth. "We are connected. Calculating transit mass and destination." The commander had just made it to the hall leading the ship's helm. "The relay is hot. Acquiring approach vector. All stations secure for transit." The ship had finally exited the Sol System, closing in quickly on its destination.

The commander finally arrived at the helm, looking out at the void of space with stormy gray eyes. His hair was closely shaved down, as was his family's tradition for when a man joined the military. He had a fire in his eyes. One that was not easily quenched. This was John Shepard, commander of the SSV Normandy.

"The board is green," the pilot continued. "Approach run has begun."

The ship was now drawing in on a massive station, its shape similar to a large cannon with a second, lower barrel, a core of blue energy in its center, rimmed by two perpetually rotating rings.

"Hitting the relay in," the pilot announced as they approached the spiraling blue sphere, "3…" They were less than two hundred feet from the gargantuan machine. "2…" A beam of crackling energy hit the ship, drenching the craft in the cerulean power. "1…" The ship launched off, faster even than light, a trail of blue barely keeping up with it.

This was mass effect.

-o-

The ship was still going through the warp-like space, the blue energies of the mass relay hurtling around visibly from the windshield. It was a truly fascinating sight, but was easily taken for granted by those who had seen it several times before.

In the helm, the pilot sat the seat at the forefront of the entire ship, his hands darting across a holographic interface as he worked. He typed away, saying, "Thrusters… check. Navigation… check. Internal emission sink engaged. All systems online. Drift… just under 1500 K."

"1500 is good," said the only non-human being onboard. His head resembled a cross between a lizard and a kind of large insect, mandibles on either side of his mouth flicking slightly as he spoke. His face was tattooed with white markings like war paint. His hands only had three fingers each, including his thumbs, and his legs each had an extra joint, like second knee. "Your captain will be pleased." With that said, he turned and walked away, leaving the pilot with Shepard and one other person who was sitting off to the pilot's right side.

The pilot looked back at the alien, his eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed. "I hate that guy," he said, reaching up to scratch his hair-covered chin slightly before returning to work.

"Nihlus gave you a compliment, Joker…" said the man sitting to the pilot's right, one dark eyebrow raised almost as if in amusement. "So you hate him?"

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That's good, Kaidan," Joker replied with a snide tone, facing the dark-haired man with a sarcastic look. "I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible!" He turned back to face his own console again. "Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him on board. Call me paranoid."

"You're paranoid," Kaidan responded quickly with a snide tone of his own. "The Council helped fund this project," he explained. "They have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

"Yeah, that is the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story."

"That's enough!" Shepard shouted at them in annoyance. "You're soldiers. Act like it!"

"Sorry, Commander," Kaidan apologized as Joker rolled his eyes.

Just then, Joker's console beeped, and the ship's captain's voice came through. "Joker!" he called with that eternally serious tone of his. "Status report."

"Just cleared the mass relay, Captain," the pilot began as he leaned toward the console, a cocky little grin on his face. "Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid."

"Good," the captain replied. "Find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Joker responded. "Better brace yourself, sir. I think Nihlus is headed your way."

"He's already here, Lieutenant," the captain said in a matter-of-fact kind of voice. Joker shook his head, actually feeling fairly dumb for not thinking that Nihlus would've already met with the captain by now. "Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing." With that, the captain cut the feed.

Joker turned to Shepard and said, "You get that, Commander?"

Shepard rolled his eyes in frustration. "Great," he said. "You piss off the captain, and now I'm going to pay for it." That said, he immediately turned and left without a second word.

Joker scoffed at that. "Don't blame me! The captain's always in a bad mood."

"Only when he's talking to you, Joker," Kaidan said with a smirk, earning him a glare from the pilot.

As Shepard made his way through the Normandy to the comm room, he began to wonder what was going on. Spectres… Special Tactics and Recon. Something didn't quite add up in his mind. The Spectres were agent appointed by the Council, and they mostly dealt with huge things that can often have grave consequences on galactic peace. Why would one accompany such a brief, simple mission to a human colony? And a turian Spectre no less? Something wasn't right.

He soon arrived at the comm room, where he could see… Nihlus, observing footage that looked like it might've been from Eden Prime. He couldn't be too sure about that though, as he'd never been to the colony before. He headed into the circular room that doubled as a briefing and meeting room, and approached, Nihlus, who turned to face him. Shepard immediately scowled slightly at the alien. He had never been a big fan of aliens. Especially turians.

If Nihlus noticed that look, he didn't show it. "Commander Shepard," he greeted in an almost casual tone. "I was hoping you'd get here first. It will give us a chance to talk."

Shepard narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Captain Anderson said he'd meet me here," he stated.

"He's on his way," Nihlus replied with a nod. He put on a thoughtful look (or at least what appeared to be a thoughtful look to the commander), and paced to the right a bit before stopping. "I'm interested in this world we're going to – Eden Prime, your people call it. I've heard it's quite beautiful."

"I'm a marine," Shepard answered, "not some tourist on vacation."

Nihlus made the equivalent of a raised eyebrow. "It's more than just a tourist destination, isn't it, Shepard?" he inquired with might've been genuine intrigue. "Eden Prime is a symbol of your people: a perfect little world on the edges of your territory. Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them." His expression suddenly turned dark. "But how safe is it, really?" He faced the footage of Eden Prime again.

Shepard raised an eyebrow at that. "Are you trying to scare me, Spectre?"

"You're people are still newcomers, Shepard," the turian replied as he returned his focus to the commander. "The galaxy can be a very dangerous place." He crossed his arms, looking a little skeptical now. "Is the Alliance truly ready for this?"

And as if on cue, Captain Anderson entered the room. His dark skin did little to hide his age, as his hair had grayed in spots on either side of his head, and wrinkles were evident on his features. He wore the usual navy blue uniform of an Alliance ship captain. "I think it's about time we told the commander what's really going on."

Nihlus nodded in agreement and said to Shepard, "This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run."

Once again, Shepard rolled his eyes. "I'd already figured that out, turian."

Anderson turned to the younger soldier, his brow furrowed in slight disappointment, though he didn't go into Shepard's attitude towards aliens. "We're making a covert pick-up on Eden Prime," he explained. "That's why we needed the stealth systems operational."

Shepard scowled at this. "I don't like being kept in the dark, Captain," he said indignantly. "You of all people should know that."

"This comes down from the top, Commander," Anderson continued, gradually losing patience, which was thankfully a very large reservoir. "Information on a strictly need-to-know basis. A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation." His expression became even more serious than usual, which was saying a lot. He moved to stand to Nihlus's right. "It was Prothean."

Shepard raised an eyebrow again, this time from genuine curiosity. "I thought the Protheans vanished over 50,000 years ago?"

"Their legacy still remains," Nihlus said with knowing voice. "The mass relays, the Citadel, our ship drives – it's all based on Prothean technology."

"This is big Shepard," Anderson continued. "The last time humanity made a discovery like this, it jumped our technology forward 200 years." Shepard nodded at that, remembering the old history lessons about the Mars exploration of 2148, when explorers found the ruins of an ancient and then-unknown alien species, thus opening a huge quantity of hyper-advanced technology for humanity. "However," Anderson said, interrupting, Shepard's thoughts. "Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to handle something like this. We need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study."

"Obviously," Nihlus said, taking over the exposition of the true mission, "this goes beyond human interests, Commander. This discovery could affect every species in Council space."

"Why didn't we keep that beacon for ourselves?" Shepard asked.

"Many species see your people as too unpredictable, greedy," Nihlus explained. "Taking that beacon for humanity alone would only cause greater tension."

"Sharing that beacon will improve relations with the Council," the captain stated. "Plus, we need their scientific expertise. They know more about the Protheans than we do."

"The beacon's not the only reason I'm here, Shepard," the turian Spectre said as he took a couple steps towards the commander, approaching the human's side and standing there with his hands behind his back.

"Nihlus wants to see you in action, Commander." Shepard faced Anderson. "He's here to evaluate you.

Curious, Shepard asked, "What's going on, Captain?"

"The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time. Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Citadel Council. The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come."

"Not many could've survived what you went through on Akuze," Nihlus commented. "You showed a remarkable will to live – a particularly useful talent. That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres."

Shepard gave a skeptical glare. "Why the hell would a turian want a human in the Spectres?"

"Not all turians resent humanity. Some of us see the potential of your species. We see what you have to offer to the rest of the galaxy… and to the Spectres." Nihlus crossed his arms again. "We are an elite group. It's rare to find an individual with the skills we seek. I don't care that you're human, Shepard. I only care that you can do the job."

"I don't like other _people_ making decisions about _my_ future."

"This isn't about you, Shepard," Anderson said almost angrily. "Humanity needs this. We're all counting on you."

"I need to see your skills for myself, Commander," Nihlus explained calmly, ignoring Shepard's blatant prejudice. "Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together."

"You'll be in charge of the ground team," Anderson ordered to the commander. "Secure the beacon and bring it onto the ship ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission."

Shepard eyed Nihlus suspiciously. He felt as though something bad would happen on this mission. It was just like that bad feeling he got back on Akuze, just before the thresher maws attacked and destroyed his unit. Regardless, he nodded to Anderson. "Just give the word, Captain."

Anderson nodded as well. "Once we get to Eden-"

"Captain!" Joker called over the intercom. "We've got a problem."

"What's wrong, Joker?"

"Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You'd better see this."

The captain actually seemed nervous now. Clearly, he had the same bad feeling that Shepard had. "Bring it up on screen." After a second, the vid-screen lit up with the sight of a battle taking place, bolts flying and explosions erupting rapidly.

"Get down!" called a woman clad in white Alliance armor in the vid to whoever was recording the scene. Blasts, gunfire, and explosions launched just about everywhere as the camera panned around rapidly.

"We are under attack!" called out a man that was apparently an officer of some kind. "Taking heavy casualties! I repeat: heavy casualties! We can't… argh!" He was hit by an explosion, saved only by his protective armor's shielding. "-eed evac! They came out of nowhere! We need-!" The officer was shot suddenly, and his collapsed onto the ground. The camera panned around to see several other soldiers, all of them looking dumbstruck at something in the sky as a loud, heavy hum could be heard.

The camera briefly looked at a massive, metal… thing in the sky that was descending through the clouds. The explosions and gunfire intensified, and the camera shot around much more frantically, eventually hitting the ground and succumbing to static.

"Everything cuts out after that," Joker announced over the intercom. "No comm traffic at all. Just goes dead. There's nothing."

"Reverse and hold and 38.5," Anderson ordered. Joker did so, showing the image of that great machine in Eden Prime's sky. The three of them observed the image. The machine looked like a massive clawed hand opening to grasp the world, sparks of red energy shooting it off of it.

"Seventeen minutes out, Captain," Joker informed the superior officer. "No other Alliance ships in the area."

Anderson eyed the image for a brief moment more. "Take us in, Joker," he instructed. "Fast and quiet. This mission just got a lot more complicated."

"A small strike team can move quickly without attracting attention," Nihlus advised. "It's our best chance to secure the beacon."

Anderson nodded. "Grab your gear and meet us in the cargo hold." Nihlus nodded and headed off to get ready. The captain then turned to Shepard and said, "Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up, Commander. You're going in."

Shepard nodded, then stared at the screen with a scrutinizing glare. That hand… ship… or whatever it was… ensured that his gut feeling was right. Something was about to go down. And it didn't look good.

-o-

**All right, I'll admit it: I lazily just sat in front of the game and wrote down the dialogue as it appeared on screen. Next chapter will be more along MY style. Trust me. I'm a werewolf.**


End file.
